Public Health Highlights the Importance of Worker Protections and Reporting Workplace Outbreaks of COVID-19

Public Health Reports 61 New Deaths and 1,193 New Cases of Confirmed COVID-19 in Los Angeles County

As 61 new deaths and 1,193 new cases of COVID-19 are reported, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) highlights the importance of worker protections and reporting workplace outbreaks.  Supporting worksites experiencing outbreaks are a crucial part of slowing the spread of COIVD-19 and protecting the health of communities.

In July, the County experienced sharp increases in cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to the reopening of many sectors and holiday-related activities.  Not surprisingly, this led to increases in outbreaks at workplaces, which spiked the week of July 13, nine days after Independence Day on July 4.

People can pass this infection two days before having symptoms, if they have symptoms at all. People that became infected with COVID-19 during this time likely and unknowingly exposed their coworkers when they went to work, which contributed to the spike in workplace outbreaks. Businesses must follow the critical infection control protocols in place to decrease the risk of transmission in their workplace.

For Public Health to help determine and manage an outbreak within a workplace and to identify close contacts in the community, businesses must notify the department as soon as possible. Public Health is relying on business operators, employers, and workers to report clusters of cases as soon as these are recognized.  If a workplace has at least three reported or confirmed COVID-19 cases in the workplace within 14 days, employers are required to call Public Health immediately at: 888-397-3993.

This reporting can prevent additional cases, protect the workplace and keep people safe and healthy. It can also save people’s lives.

Public Health supports worksites by assessing the worksite and providing guidance to prevent and control COVID-19 outbreaks. Public Health also monitors any on-going outbreak and provides additional guidance, as needed, until no new cases have been identified for 14 days.

In addition, workers and employers can anonymously report COVID-19 outbreaks at worksites as well as violations of Health Officer Orders and Protocols. They can call the Environmental Health Customer Call Center at 888-700-9995, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.  A complaint system to report violations is also available online at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

“We extend our condolences to all of the family members and friends who have lost a loved one due to COVID 19,” said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. “I want to thank all the workplaces who are following the County protocols for reopening that are in the Health Officer Order, as well as the workplaces that have diligently reported outbreaks and taken the necessary infection control steps to protect their workers. As Labor Day approaches, let’s all remember why we celebrate this holiday – and to take extra measures to protect the health and safety of all of our workers so we won’t see a repeat of the spike we saw in July after Independence Day.  Unless we all take actions that continue to minimize the risk of transmitting this virus to one another, we raise the risk that this horrible disease will surge again in the months ahead, and we all must do everything we can to avoid that.”

To date, Public Health has identified 244,999 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County, and a total of 5,932 deaths.

Ninety-two percent of the people who died from COVID-19 had underlying health conditions. Of those who died, information about race and ethnicity is available for 5,576 people (99 percent of the cases reported by Public Health); 51% of deaths occurred among Latino/Latinx residents, 24% among White residents, 15% among Asian residents, 10% among African American/Black residents, less than 1% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander residents and 1% among residents identifying with other races. Upon further investigation, 129 cases and seven deaths reported earlier were not LA County residents.

Testing results are available for more than 2,332,000 individuals with 10% of all people testing positive. There are 1,062 confirmed cases currently hospitalized and 30% of these people are confirmed cases in the ICU.

The Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Data Dashboard, Recovery Metrics, Recovery Dashboard, and additional things you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public Health website, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov.

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